Aides have said the West Coast trip marks the start of a series of road trips around the country aimed at pressuring lawmakers to pass the economic stimulus package.

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In the days when nobody had ever heard of a snowboard, he spotted one at a general store, requested and received it for Christmas, and began a series of family trips involving backcountry camping.

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It took a series of high-speed accidents--including Wolfgang von Trips killing himself and 11 spectators in a 1961 crash-- before officials added a few chicanes and barriers to slow things down, albeit reluctantly.

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For corporations, the sport is the latest in a series of teamwork-building fads that began with Outward Bound trips in the 1970s and continued with pugil-stick battles and obstacle courses in the 1980s and 1990s.

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Bobby Cox has also dealt with his fair share of criticism since he has only won a single world championship in five trips to the World Series and has amassed the most career ejections for a manager.

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